


Carry On My Wayward Son

by LilacIcarus



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: F/M, M/M, Song: Carry on My Wayward Son (Kansas)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-03
Updated: 2021-01-03
Packaged: 2021-03-13 22:08:03
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,159
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28535643
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LilacIcarus/pseuds/LilacIcarus
Summary: Lance always knew there was something more in store for him.
Relationships: Allura/Lance (Voltron), Keith/Lance (Voltron), Lance/Keith (insinuated)
Comments: 1
Kudos: 5





	Carry On My Wayward Son

**Author's Note:**

> Vague oneshot inspired by "Carry on my Wayward Son" and procrastination on my other fics.

Lance always knew there was something more in store for him. When he was a child, peeking out from his window, counting all of the stars that danced above him, he knew. When he struggled in school, constantly outshined by some scruffy kid with a mullet, he knew. When he made it into the piloting program at the Garrison, he knew. When the blue lion chose him, they both  _ knew.  _ He gave his everything to that team, to every fight. As the team struggled, as he failed to build the family that he wanted, he knew that there was something more just beyond his fingertips. 

He faltered when they lost Shiro. Then again, when he lost Blue. Red was great and all, but he never felt the faith in him that Blue had. Shiro returned, and as Keith drifted further from the team, doubt grew in Lance. All that he had given up, every ounce of his effort exerted, and they still weren’t done. There still wasn’t peace. And now Shiro had driven Keith away and was doing his damnedest to push everyone else away too; their team,  _ his family,  _ was fracturing. There had to be something more than this. At least, he hoped. He prayed. 

His prayer seemed to be answered, briefly, when Lotor defected. But as soon as the relief began, he felt Lotor slowly start to take up his space, start to replace him. The way Allura would look at Lotor sometimes- he wondered if maybe what he’d already accomplished was all he was meant to do. And somehow, when his and Shiro’s inevitable betrayal hit, it didn’t make him feel any better. His spot on the team was back open, no one else was threatening them, and yet everything was still in shambles. They were a year away from Earth. And as they slowly creeped across the universe, their lions exhausted and broken, they discovered they were two years too late. 

He felt himself drifting again, unsure of how to move forward, of what to hope for. In a way, getting stranded in space without the lions was the best thing that could have happened to him. Hunk pulled the team together again. His bravery, his trust and belief in the team rejuvenated them. When they escaped from the creature, Lance felt like a new man. That ‘something more’ that he’d been pursuing started to materialize in front of him. They made it to Earth, he reunited with his sister- God, he had missed her. Together, they fought off the Galra again, and Earth was safe, at least for a little while. They spent six months preparing to move out to space, liberate other planets under Galra control, and Allura and Lance drew closer. 

Something in him wondered if this could be what he’d been waiting for, searching for, fighting for all along. His belief grew unchallenged until he found Keith watching the sun set atop his lion, and all Lance could see was the way the sun kissed his skin like something precious. He pushed the thought away and revelled in the way the stars shone in Allura’s eyes later that night. This  _ must  _ be what he’d been waiting for.

And  _ God,  _ it was so worth it. He cherished every minute with her on the Atlas, every smile sent his way, every soft kiss she bestowed, all of it. They held hands at dinnertime underneath the table and he honestly could not remember a time that he was happier, even with the fate of the universe- every universe- hanging in the balance. He dreamed of taking her back to Earth when it was all over. Taking her to see the family farm, all of his favorite places, show her how life on Earth was supposed to be, without all the alien threats. 

That dream died with her, saving the universe. He’s not entirely sure what he expected, given that any time they went out into space previously they narrowly avoided being killed. Hell, Shiro literally died at one point. Lance had to be stuffed in a healing tube, comatose, almost right off the bat. It wasn’t that he expected anyone to die, or even expected no one to die, he’d just never dreamed it would be her. The universe moved on without her. Galra retreated to their home planet, restructured itself. Earth leads the Galactic Coalition. Keith rebuilt the Blade of Marmora, now to provide aid to refugees. Pidge and Matt returned home to push the boundaries of science. Hunk became an intergalactic chef and used his cooking for diplomacy. Shiro found love again, got married. Lace returned home, alone. 

He kept busy on his family’s farm, tried with all his might to value the newfound life with his family as he would have if she’d come back with him. He tried to ignore the stares he got in public- in part, for being a paladin, but mostly because he was permanently marked, altered, by the woman he’d loved. His white hair, pointed ears, and Altean markings didn’t exactly blend in, and even though many alien refugees had found their way to Earth, none were Alteans. On particularly bad days, he considered leaving Earth and living on Altea. At least then he’d find people who understood what he’d lost. By the end of the day, he always decided to stay. His family didn’t quite understand everything he lived with, but they tried to understand, and that was what mattered. 

He thinks it was Veronica that knew what he was missing somehow, and reached out to Keith. Lance himself didn’t even know what exactly he was missing until he saw the Black Lion set down in his front yard. He’d run out the door in a flash, not even throwing on shoes, skidding to a stop in front of the lion. Keith had faltered in his descent down the ramp to him, a smile pulling at his lips. It was then that Lance had realized what he’d been waiting for. He broke into a sprint and met Keith, who was also running, at the base of the ramp; they crashed together, holding each other tightly. Lance felt the tight band around his chest loosen as he buried his head into the (technically) older man’s shoulder.  _ His family.  _

“When I say Vol…” Lance murmured softly. 

“Voltron,” Keith answered readily, his voice sounding thick. 

“I missed that,” Lance murmured.  _ I missed you.  _

“Then stop it. The Blade always needs more help.”  _ He missed me too.  _

“Are you sure? There’s not much demand for sharpshooters in aid work,” Lance quipped, pulling back. Keith laughed freely and shrugged one shoulder. 

“You’d be surprised. Now go pack a bag, we’re meeting up with Hunk for lunch.” Keith pushed Lance’s shoulder gently, and Lance grinned. Twenty minutes later, as the Black Lion rose into the sky, carrying them to the next paladin, Lance knew. This was what he’d been waiting for. 


End file.
